NMPGV April 2018 Pledge Member Update
It is with a heavy heart that we write this summer’s newsletter. In 24 hours, there have been two mass shootings in our country. The first was in El Paso, Texas and was the 10th worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
These combined shootings killed thirty-one people. Thirty-one people who will never see their loved ones again. Dozens are recovering from injuries many of which are life threatening. Hundreds will live with the psychological trauma of experiencing a mass shooting. Our hearts grieve for them.
The shooter in El Paso wrote a lengthy racist rant that targeted Latinos and immigrants. These innocent victims were shot and killed simply because of the color of their skin. Many Mexicans were shopping at this Walmart just as they do every weekend, getting their food and supplies for the week. Sadly, the victims included children and parents. One mother died while sheltering her child from the deadly spray of bullets coming from a high-powered assault rifle.
Twelve hours later, in a bar in Dayton Ohio, another lone gunman with an assault rifle shot and killed nine people and injured twenty-six others.
These gun massacres happen quickly and steadily in America. To date, there have been 251 mass shootings since January 1st. Yet, too many of our elected officials refuse to support common sense gun violence prevention laws that would include a ban on all assault weapons. They will stand behind the tired and insidious NRA driven rhetoric that says guns don’t kill people and that assault weapons don’t actually exist.
Our country is broken. An immediate and radical response to this gun crisis is needed. Sadly, we wait and wait and wait.
Predictably, these gun massacres will continue as long as Washington and the GOP turn their backs on the blood-filled streets of our communities and refuse to effectively respond to the needs of our people.
At New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence we will continue to do everything we can to stem the tide of gun violence in our state and country. In addition to our advocacy and lobbying in support of keeping NM families safe from gun violence, we continue to advance our core “Guns to Gardens” firearm buyback program as well as our School Mural program in which NM youth creatively express their concerns and feelings on gun violence in their communities.
Our community outreach programs make a difference every day in our communities and represent the opportunity to create lasting change. And, we could not do this work without your continued support.
We invite you to catch-up on the impact we’ve had this summer! We have been busy….
Guns To Gardens:
We began the summer with a successful Guns To Gardens Gun Buyback in Santa Fe. We took in 135 guns. THE MAJORITY WERE SEMI-AUTOMATIC HANDGUNS AND ASSAULT RIFLES. Our next gun buy back will be in Taos, New Mexico.
We invite you to pledge your support of our impact in NM communities!
Murals To End Gun Violence
We completed two more youth driven gun violence prevention murals. The first one was created by youth at the Gang Intervention Center at YDI in downtown Albuquerque.
The second was created by youth at Serenity Mesa Recovery Center also in Albuquerque. We were honored to work with these youth and moved by their personal stories of gun violence.
We are partnering with probation judges in Albuquerque and have begun working with the youth in Juvenile Detention.
Thank you! We cannot do this work without your continued support.
The Latest
NMPGV is working to make our state and country safer by strengthening laws that seek to prevent gun violence.
Join our mission, and invest in the future of New Mexico today.